Topics tagged with 'Science'
Emissions are putting species in lethal danger
31 Aug 2015
Scientists warn that lizards, coral reefs and forests are all seriously under threat unless agreement is reached to reduce drastically fossil fuel emissions.
We can turn CO2 in the air into new materials
31 Aug 2015
What if there were a way to suck carbon dioxide right out of the air and turn it into useful products? It might seem fantastic but scientists have actually proved it’s possible.
Nelson talkfest to get serious about contaminants
24 Aug 2015
Business, government and academic global leaders gather in Nelson this week to talk about the environmental impacts of manufactured contaminants.
China’s carbon count is not as high as feared
24 Aug 2015
The use of poor-quality coal in Chinese power plants means that the carbon dioxide emissions of the world’s biggest polluter are 10% less than previously thought.
If we want to eat tuna, we need to learn how to share
24 Aug 2015
Amid growing demand for seafood, gas and other resources drawn from the world’s oceans, and growing stresses from climate change, QUENTIN HANICH examines some of the challenges and solutions for developing 'the blue economy' in smarter, more sustainable ways.
Time to tap an underused energy source: wasted heat
24 Aug 2015
Millions of people worldwide can’t afford to keep their homes warm, but few realise the heat wasted in our energy system could provide the answer.
Climate expert gives Anzacs a fail mark
17 Aug 2015
Australia has set a post-2020 emissions reduction target as poor as that of New Zealand.
Frustrated Sydney gets climate act together
17 Aug 2015
Sydney is acting to protect itself against heat waves, floods, storms and energy shortages as a result of climate change.
Why promoting green ways in Africa might be bad
17 Aug 2015
Inadequate infrastructure is widely recognised to be holding back Africa’s development and lowering the quality of life of its citizens.
Extreme weather puts Africa's food security at risk
17 Aug 2015
A British government scientific panel says increasingly frequent heat waves, droughts and other extreme weather threaten more – and more severe – global food crises.
Added gene can make rice more climate-friendly
17 Aug 2015
Scientists discover a way to boost production of the grain that billions rely on for food – and reduce its damaging emissions of methane.
World doesn't have time for pessimism, says IPCC man
10 Aug 2015
IPCC deputy chair Professor Jean-Pascal van Ypersele says he hasn’t got time to be pessimistic about whether the world will take action to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Revolutionary fence is set to trap the sea’s power
10 Aug 2015
A British company has announced plans for an array of unique marine turbines that can operate in shallower and slower-moving water than current designs.
Here’s how we can save the car – and the planet
10 Aug 2015
Passenger cars are still the most popular transportation mode. In 2014, nearly 68m were produced globally.
‘Peak car’ means UK might get much closer to carbon targets than it realised
10 Aug 2015
Cars are one of the biggest threats to the planet. The transport sector accounts for more than 60% of global oil consumption and about a quarter of energy-related carbon emissions, and it’s seen as harder to decarbonise than other parts of the economy.
Half of climate safety level has gone, say scientists
3 Aug 2015
Global temperatures have risen by 1°C in the past 150 years, and scientists say doubling that level could unleash catastrophic sea level rise this century.
Fossil fuel industry still winning the investment war
3 Aug 2015
The campaign to convince investors not to use their money to support the extraction and use of fossil fuels is failing to gain enough converts, experts say.
Sustainable oil from algae: the technology is ready, but what about the politics?
3 Aug 2015
Ultimately, all of the oil we use to power our modern lives comes from living creatures such as algae – albeit ones that lived 3.5 billion years ago, before gradually morphing into fossil fuel.
Message in a bottle: wine industry gives farmers a taste of what's to come
3 Aug 2015
Wine seems to be a handy way to galvanise concerns about the future ill-effects of climate change.
Why cities are a rare good news story in climate change
27 Jul 2015
The visit last week of 65 mayors to the Vatican to discuss climate change, among other things, reflects the central role of cities in debates that for too long took place only at the global and national level.
Soil maps could help show the way for farmers
27 Jul 2015
Detailed soil maps of farms could reduce nitrate leaching and help to improve food production, a Lincoln University report suggests.
Norway pumps up 'green battery' plan for Europe
27 Jul 2015
Norway is hoping to become the “green battery of Europe” by using its hydropower plants to provide instant extra electricity if production from wind and solar power sources in other countries fade.
Japan signs up for geothermal classes
20 Jul 2015
New Zealand and Japan will work together on geothermal energy research.
Australia hit its Kyoto target, but it was more a three-inch putt than a hole in one
20 Jul 2015
In the saga of mendacity that is the climate policy debate, no claim has been more audacious than the one now being told by the federal government about Australia’s “success” in meeting its Kyoto emissions target.
Eco-friendly golf means not worrying if the grass is greener on the other course
20 Jul 2015
The Open Championship has returned to St Andrews, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious golf courses and one that has been recognised for its commitment to sustainability.
Climate threat as grave a risk as nuclear war, say scientists
20 Jul 2015
The risks of climate change are comparable to those posed by nuclear conflict, says a new report.
'Failed' NZ could be walking into trap at Paris climate summit
13 Jul 2015
New Zealand could be in trouble with its post-2020 emissions reduction target if the world doesn’t allow us to continue to use creative accounting to meet our obligations, international scientists are warning.
Why climate change could knock seafood off the menu
13 Jul 2015
Pink salmon – the smallest and most abundant of the Pacific salmon species, and a supper table mainstay in many parts of the world – may be swimming toward trouble.
How long before you ditch your car for a driverless electric taxi?
13 Jul 2015
Trend-spotters may have declared the car is dead for 20-somethings in central London or Paris but among the rest of humanity sales of the ubiquitous gas-guzzler continue to climb.
Warming planet heightens plight of the bumblebee
13 Jul 2015
By TIM RADFORD.- Scientists warn that human intervention may be needed to protect bees as climate change overheats their southern habitat range.
Science breaks new ground in converting coal ash from pollutant to useful products
13 Jul 2015
South Africa has large coal reserves. It mainly burns coal to produce electricity at 13 existing coal-burning power plants, situated mainly in Mpumalanga, a province in the country’s east.
11% cut ... follow us down the path to catastrophe
8 Jul 2015
New Zealand will face droughts, floods, fires, social upheaval and catastrophic global economic damage if the world follows the country’s lead on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, says one of our leading climate experts.
Best brains tell the story ... but will the Government act?
6 Jul 2015
Will the Government order Treasury to prepare an analysis of the economic, environmental and social risks posed by climate change?
We could still be a carbon leader, says trader
6 Jul 2015
It’s not too late for New Zealand to become an international carbon trading hub, says pioneer carbon trader Nigel Brunel.
Is palm oil the scourge of the earth, or a wonder crop?
6 Jul 2015
If you happen to mention palm oil to most people outside of Asia you are unlikely to get a particularly positive reaction.
Greenhouse gas-guzzlers might spurn extra carbon dioxide
6 Jul 2015
Diatoms – tiny ocean-dwelling photosynthesisers that produce a fifth of the planet’s oxygen each year – may not gulp down more carbon dioxide more enthusiastically as greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere continue to rise.
Q&A: Robert Redford tells us what he told the UN General Assembly
6 Jul 2015
The climate change crisis involves action from every country, every nation and every person, actor and environmental activist Robert Redford told the United Nations last week.
If everyone lived in an ecovillage, the Earth would still be in trouble
29 Jun 2015
We are used to hearing that if everyone lived in the same way as North Americans or Australians, we would need four or five planet Earths to sustain us.
How Rwanda’s clinics have gone off-grid and on to renewable energy
29 Jun 2015
Rwanda is located in the poorest region in the world, sub-Saharan Africa. Despite this, it is making advances with off-grid renewable energy solutions for rural areas that could be a model for similar economies.
We must act now to save farming industry, says expert
22 Jun 2015
Billions of dollars worth of research and on-farm advisers are needed to prepare the New Zealand farming sector for the massive shift to sustainable agriculture, an expert is warning.
Rise in CO2 could restrict growing days for crops
22 Jun 2015
While plants in temperate zones may benefit from higher temperatures, global warming’s impact in the tropics threatens catastrophe for food security.
India blames heatwave deaths on climate change
22 Jun 2015
Fierce temperatures in India doubled the heat-related deaths normally recorded in May − and the government insists natural causes are not to blame.
Australia faces stormy future as temperatures soar
15 Jun 2015
Destructive storms and sudden floods are set to intensify across Australia as global warming plays havoc with rainfall patterns.
Desert farms could power flight with sunshine and seawater
15 Jun 2015
The aviation industry is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2011 aviation contributed around 3% of Australia’s emissions. Despite improvements in efficiency, global aviation emissions are expected to grow 70% by 2020 from 2005.
Lobby group wants think tank to set emissions target
8 Jun 2015
An environmental lobby group is calling for a cross-sector working group on New Zealand’s post-2020 emissions reduction target.
Apollo plan asks for the moon in switch to renewables
8 Jun 2015
The vision is simple, the cost would be eye-watering, and the result could stop the growing threat from burning fossil fuels in its tracks.
How modern crops can ensure food security in a heatwave
8 Jun 2015
India’s heatwave again highlights just how seriously extreme weather conditions threaten our ability to put sufficient nutritious food on all our plates.
Shell can’t afford to wait until 2050 to adapt its business to climate change
2 Jun 2015
Shell’s recent AGM was tumultuous. Shareholders voted overwhelmingly for the company to report on whether its activities were compatible with promised government action on climate change.
Coffee drinkers beware, your brew will change with the climate
2 Jun 2015
We have known for some time that coffee is a climate-sensitive crop. Now we have the first global evidence that increasing minimum, or night-time, temperatures are having the hardest impact on your daily brew.
Group sits down to settle cod question
2 Jun 2015
Consultation on new proposals to manage the blue cod fishery in the Marlborough Sounds start today.
UN limits staff at COP30 climate summit over accommodation concerns
Today 11:45am
High hotel prices for Brazil's COP30 climate summit in November have prompted the United Nations to urge its staff to limit attendance, while government delegations are still scrambling to find rooms within their budgets.
Govt passes law to limit farm-to-forest conversions
Today 11:45am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has passed legislation intended to limit farm-to-forest conversions in the Emissions Trading Scheme, with ministers saying the changes “restore balance,” while opponents call it a band-aid that risks climate targets.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
'Non-negotiable' – EU carbon pricing to hit Kiwi exporters, expert warns
11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | High carbon exports will inevitably face a high carbon tax at the EU border, possibly in the next five years, and high methane agricultural products might not be exempt, an international expert told a local audience yesterday.
UK foreign aid for nature hits £800m record due to cash for carbon credits
Tue 16 Sep 2025
The UK’s climate-aid spending on “nature protection and restoration” reached record levels of nearly £800m last year, according to government figures obtained by Carbon Brief.
Researchers say sealing old oil wells with bio-oil from crop waste is a dual carbon-removal solution
Today 11:45am
A new analysis shows that oil made from corn husks, wood chips, and other waste could plug greenhouse gas-belching abandoned oil wells while sequestering carbon for about $152 per ton.
Carbon price steady after failed quarterly auction
Tue 16 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has continued to trade in its familiar moribund range in the high $50s following last week’s failed quarterly auction, with ample supply still trading on the secondary market at about $10 below this year’s $68 auction floor.
EU set to miss UN deadline for new target under Paris climate accord
Today 11:45am
The delay is intended to allow countries more time to agree to an ambitious goal.
No bidders front to carbon auction - again
10 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Today’s quarterly carbon auction was a non-event yet again, making it the third consecutive auction this year with no bidders, with the secondary market price still limping along at nearly 20% below the auction floor.
Industry struggles with double-digit power price hikes
Mon 15 Sep 2025
As power prices surge by double-digit amounts for the second year in a row, industrial users can’t keep absorbing cost increases, the Major Electricity Users’ Group says.
The merchants of doubt are back
3 Sep 2025
OPINION: If you don’t follow climate policy closely, you might not know that the Trump administration is launching an effort to overturn one of the most fundamental pillars of American climate policy.
Milestone for NZ Steel electrification
10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | NZ Steel has passed an installation milestone for its new electric arc furnace, which will reduce emissions from the Glenbrook steel mill site by as much as one megatonne (1Mt) a year.
RMA to speed up fossil fuel consents
18 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | An energy lobby group has welcomed a last-minute amendment to the RMA that puts fossil fuels on the same footing as renewables, however a sustainable energy expert says the move “beggars belief.”
Watts not considering removing electricity from ETS
Tue 16 Sep 2025
Energy and Climate Change Minister, Simon Watts, says he is “not currently considering” removing electricity generation from the Emissions Trading Scheme, as proposed by NZ First Minister Shane Jones.
Gentailers told to behave as ministers weigh Frontier review
Wed 17 Sep 2025
The chief executives of Contact, Meridian, Mercury and Genesis met Energy and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts on Thursday for their regular monthly session.
Declining sea-ice is altering Antarctic food webs
11 Sep 2025
A new study shows a significant change in Antarctic phytoplankton over time that could cascade through the marine food web and affect the ocean’s capacity as a carbon sink.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
Thu 18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Marginal drop in last year's regional emissions
27 Aug 2025
Regional greenhouse gas emissions were down slightly last year, with a fall in gas supply leading to a big drop in Taranaki, but more coal burnt leading to higher emissions in Waikato, according to new figures from Stats NZ
Australia leapfrogs NZ on climate ambition
Today 11:45am
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers for Climate Action say Australia’s new 2035 climate target should be a wake-up call for ‘clean, green’ New Zealand.
Exxon and Shell sue the Netherlands in secret tribunals for closing Europe’s biggest gas field
Today 11:45am
Following billions in profits and over a thousand gas extraction-related earthquakes, the oil and gas giants filed claims against the Dutch state in four separate investor-state disputes concerning compensation for home damages and the permanent closure of the Groningen gas field.
A modest geothermal strategy
31 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
Why mega-polluters have little to fear from the European Central Bank and its new climate policy
12 Sep 2025
The European Central Bank plans to raise borrowing costs for climate offenders – but a new FTM analysis shows that big polluters such as Shell will barely feel it.
Science cuts will hold back climate research
Wed 17 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | A crisis in government-backed science funding is worsening, with dire implications for climate research in New Zealand, according to experts from the scientific community.
Media round-up
5 Sep 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The great methane debate; law change scuppers legal challenge to irrigation scheme consent; and what are the energy and climate implications of the $7.5 billion Amazon Web Services data centre deal?
Coal imports up 650%
12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams and Liz Kivi | Coal imports are up 650% as generators stockpile the most polluting fossil fuel ahead of next winter.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
29 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Green hydrogen pioneer Hiringa Energy is deep in planning to develop an “eight-to-nine figure” methanol plant near Whanganui, using a combination of biomass and hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
Media round-up
29 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Changes to road user charges will increase New Zealand's emissions; Climate Change Minister Simon Watts promises better access to hazard data for homeowners; and Kiwis borrow over $1 billion in ‘green loans’ for heat pumps and electric cars.
Will NZ walk away from the Paris Agreement?
20 Dec 2024
By Geoff Bertram | COMMENT: Unless the government can find very cheap offshore mitigation, the temptation to walk away from its Paris Agreement obligations may well be too strong to resist for a coalition government focused on fiscal austerity.
Young activists won a landmark state climate trial. Now they’re challenging Trump’s orders
Thu 18 Sep 2025
Young climate activists and their attorneys who won a landmark global warming trial against the state of Montana are trying to convince a federal judge to block President Donald Trump’s executive orders promoting fossil fuels.
Forest carbon stores massive blind spot - study
4 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand’s planted forests hold significant deep soil organic carbon — with over half of it stored below 30 cm, and much of it over 1,000 years old.
Govt tweaks offshore energy bill with 'declared areas' model
Wed 17 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is making changes to the Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to address offshore wind developers' concerns about competing for space with other industries.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
A steady ocean pattern just failed for the first time ever observed
Wed 17 Sep 2025
The failure of the Gulf of Panama’s seasonal upwelling system has left scientists wondering what happens next.
Australia's 2035 climate targets on path to net zero judged by the experts
Today 11:45am
After much anticipation, Australia has set its new climate targets: a reduction of 62 to 70 per cent within the next 10 years.
‘Plastic Cup’ competitions are cleaning up rivers in Hungary
1 Sep 2025
Afloat on DIY boats, teams of volunteers have removed over 450 tons of plastic waste from the Danube and its tributaries.
Can certificates solve NZ's heavy vehicle emissions problem?
Thu 18 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Sustainable Business Council has launched a new framework for a national system to cut freight emissions.
Climate change collaboration and competition law
Thu 18 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The revamped competition law regime needs to be able to take into account the benefits of companies that collaborate for action on climate change, says the panel that reviewed both the Commerce Commission and the Commerce Act.
Underestimating support for climate action limits political decision making, study says
8 Sep 2025
Research reveals huge disparity between perceived and actual willingness of public to contribute to fixing climate.
Straterra has a new name: the New Zealand Minerals Council
16 Apr 2025
Media release | Straterra has been renamed as New Zealand Minerals Council, says chief executive Josie Vidal.
One city’s race to ‘solarise everything we possibly can’
Thu 18 Sep 2025
Bordeaux is quickly transforming itself into France’s top solar-powered city, banking on innovations like transparent panels that preserve its historic architecture.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Ara Ake backs 13 projects to unlock NZ’s energy flexibility
11 Sep 2025
Media release | Ara Ake has approved over $600,000 in funding from the National Flex Discovery Fund for 13 flexibility service providers (FSPs).
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
31 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government is expected to repeal the oil and gas ban today, with a last-minute amendment handing discretionary power to two ministers over the controversial issue of decommissioning.
Most EU carmakers on track to meet emission targets: study
10 Sep 2025
Almost all European carmakers are on track to meet EU emission targets after winning a reprieve this year as electric vehicles (EV) sales pick up, a study showed.
Echo Tech secures growth investment to tackle NZ's e-waste crisis
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Media release | Echo Tech Limited, New Zealand’s leading provider of e-waste recycling and IT asset recovery services, is proud to announce a strategic investment from growth equity firm Altered Capital.
La Niña set to prolong NZ hydro shortfall
9 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With La Niña favouring a drier-than-normal spring across much of the South Island, hydro lakes are unlikely to recover without substantial rain and late snowmelt – keeping national storage levels below average.
Record UK wildfires have burned an area twice the size of Glasgow in 2025
12 Aug 2025
Wildfires have scorched more than 40,000 hectares of land so far this year across the UK – an area more than twice the size of the Scottish city of Glasgow.
Which countries are scaling solar and wind the fastest?
12 Sep 2025
The leaderboard is quite different depending on what metric you look at.
